Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Reporter
“There is a need for society to change its views and misconceptions on the modelling industry to allow young people to follow careers of their passion.”
These words were said by former Miss Teen Universe Zimbabwe Tumi Sibanda, during a coronation ceremony which was held at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo last Saturday.
Twenty aspiring beauty queens drawn from different towns across the country converged in the city to compete for a spot to represent Zimbabwe at the global Miss Teen pageant slated for Miami, Florida in November.
After a three-hour contest, Harare-born Alicia Thomas (17) was crowned the new Miss Teen Universe Zimbabwe with Bulawayo’s Laura Nyathi (18) becoming the second runner-up.
Kwekwe’s Grace Chiweda (17) became the second runner-up.
Warona Majaka (15) from Bulawayo was crowned Miss Personality while Ashanthelle Chapenga (15) from Gweru became Miss People’s Choice.
Addressing the crowd during the event, the former Miss Teen, who is Girls’ College headgirl said taking part in the pageant was not easy as it came with a lot of societal pressures and stigma.
“During my reign, I learnt that it takes a lot for one to remain confident and focused. As models, we’re subjected to judgement by society and the misconceptions about things that used to happen in this industry still follow us.
“To survive, I had to pull up my socks and prove that I was a beauty with brains, so I doubled my grades at school, made sure that I excelled in sports and I’m proud to say, I did well.
“And I wish to assure the newly crowned queen that this pageant is all about sisterhood.
As the first Miss Teen Universe Zimbabwe, I’ve set a pace and some standards for all that will come after me, and I’m going to help them through this journey because it’s not easy to wear this crown,” she said.
As a way of educating society about pageantry, Tumi, together with the reigning Miss Teen Ecotourism Amanda Peresu and Miss Environment Zimbabwe 2022 Jemima Mandemwa, used the platform to engage concerned parents who shared their fears regarding the modelling industry.
During the competition, the teen models exhibited astounding attires with most having been designed by local designers.
The outfits for the national dress segment included the shweshwe dresses and designs done using the national fabric.
In preparation for the event, the models were trained in boot camp by pageant coach Pardon Khayelihle Khanye two days prior to the event.
The event was directed by Mathias Ziyambi who for empowerment reasons, dedicated most of the work to the pageant’s teenage director Sharon Chiweda.
“The purpose is to empower the teenagers to know what they want to do in their careers, have confidence and be able to handle pressures,” said Ziyambi.
Online Reporter